Plan Rhymes With Pain
20 May 2015 | Day 5 to Noumea
Thursday 21 May 2015
Spinnaker halyard break the other day was just below eye splice where extra core made rope thicker. Methinks the block is not large enough for the extra width and thus caused chafe that parted the line after several hours. Decided a bowline will work better in future, but more diligence this time to confirm the sheave is in good nick and she runs fair past headstay gear under load might revise that assessment.
Appropriate ministrations to hatches and portlights seem to have been efficacious. For those in Pinellas Park 'we don't got no deck leaks no more'. For all you fine individuals who live there and have a carry permit, just kidding. Having actually worked on lighting problems yesterday, discovered that the 2 offending, burned out bulbs had been missed when LEDs were substituted for incandescent. Replacement will rapidly follow finding the new lamps, which were moved to make them easier to find. Hey, I know where they used to be! Additional light problem will require a saw and other implements of destruction so will be ignored for the nonce.
Having moved well over last 4 days, averaging better than 6 knots made good, we are quite far north and wind increased enough by 0600 to keep us ahead of bad weather under sail alone. Sea is easy, sky is clear and silence is golden. As morning wore on, freshening breeze pushed speed up to mid-sevens and forecast, should one entertain a notion to believe such foolishness, indicates a continuation into tomorrow. Henceforth, low pressure passing south will quickly back wind through our rhumb and allow opposite tack into Noumea by Saturday afternoon. The plan is flawless. What could possibly go wrong? Customs and immigration close early, so hope they're open, as published, for a couple hours Sunday morning because Monday is a holiday (the French seem to have a lot of them). Being so close to unobtainable pain du chocolat would be cruel and inhuman.
Jack